Fibs versus Lies
by Rehabilitated Sith
Summary: Jack and I have this unspoken agreement, or at least, it was unspoken until it needed to be spoken; that we would never lie to each other. Sometimes, we have to bend the rules a little to save those we love; whether they appreciate it or not. *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

AN: I don't own MacGyver. Duh. This story is mine, so, no touchy without credit

~ Rehabilitated Sith.

Constructive criticism is appreciated, and reviews loved.

Fibs versus Lies - 1

 _Jack and I have this unspoken agreement, or at least, it was unspoken until it needed to be spoken; that we would never lie to each other. I've skated close to that in the past, then there was that incident with the whole Nikki search but I digress. Sometimes, we have to bend the rules a little to save those we love; whether they appreciate it or not._

"Y'know, I am _really_ getting tired of this guy and his bombs."

"Technically without his and the other sickos bombs, we wouldn't need EODs and I would be out of a job and we would have never met."

"Don't try that logic stuff with me, man. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life and it doesn't mean I have to like it. In fact, what number is this? 10?! 10. Who the hell needs to plant 10 _frickin'_ bombs around the city? I mean _seriously_."

"As fascinating as your rant is, I need to focus, so if we could limit the chatter, that'd be great. Thanks."

"Yeah Jack, shut up so Mac doesn't blow us all up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Riley."

"I'm just sayin'…"

With experienced hands, a thin plastic pen almost imperceptibly move wires so create a space to view the nodes and track the wires. The wires that are all exactly the same color. _Thanks for that by the way._ The blank face of the bomb is a comfort, but only temporarily. Hands still as connections are made in the brain of one Angus MacGyver.

Blue eyes dart around the room of the modern housing structure they are currently huddle in. Spying his needs, he quickly grabs the items and races back to the side of the innocent-looking bomb. Ripping open the back of the old cell phone, he pulls the pieces he needs and tosses the rest.

"OK, Riley, this has remote access, so I have to create a signal jammer in hopes they don't blow us up before I can disarm the bomb. I need you to go outside to the road and call Matty. Tell her the situation and get a team down here."

With a tacit nod, the dark haired young woman sprints for the door, backpack over her shoulder. Only pausing at the threshold, "be careful." Then she was gone.

Deft hands finished the little side project, and set it down a little ways off. Scrubbing a hand through his sun-bleached hair, Mac shifted his eyes to his partner who was watching with anxious eyes. Having already had a near-death experience with a bomb not too long ago, it was understandable that Jack was not a fan of these things, no matter his absolute faith in Mac. Thinking quickly, Mac turned to Jack who was already waiting his orders.

"Jack, I need the tire iron, duct tape and seat belt from the car."

"Not the seat belt, come on Mac, you know the car is rented under _my_ name."

" _Jack_."

"Fine, fine. Next time though, we are renting it under _your name_ and see how _you_ like it. But _I_ am still driving."

"Sure. Go. _Now_."

Grumbling, Jack got to his feet and sprinted for the same door Riley had exited.

"Remember, don't do anything stupid while I am gone. You have to wait for me."

"Don't I always?" Mac retorted innocently.

Jack opened his mouth to rebut that remark but his partners shooing motions had him hurrying to return. Ducking out the door, Jack leap down the few steps toward the driveway where their rental car was waiting. Clicking the fob, he popped the trunk, grabbed the iron, duck tape and tossed it on the ground. Sliding around to the passenger rear door, he threw it open and grabbed for the first seat belt his hands found. Unclipping the top, he pulled it out only to get caught on the bottom. Grunting at the sudden stop, he pulled. The car was not so helpful.

"Where's Mac's knife when you need it."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

A concussive wave slammed into the former Delta, throwing his against the open car door and ricocheting to the loose gravel floor. Debris rained down all around him, clanging off of the rental and bouncing to the ground. Smoke wafted over his face, a shrill ringing in his ears, and heat blasted him.

' _Mac. MAC!'_

Scrambling to his feet, he had to throw a hand out to the side of the car to balance himself and quickly withdrew it with a hiss. The car was hot! Blinking, Jack scrubbed a hand across his eyes trying to clear his vision, unsuccessfully.

"M..a.c..MAC!"

His lungs objected to the yelling, causing him to bend over as large coughs racked his body. Undeterred, his shuffled forward, arms out to attempt to protect his face from the scorching heat of the fires now engulfing part of the house. The house was partially caved in.

"JACK! MAC! JACK!"

Dimly, Jack knew that Riley was screaming for them as she raced back down the driveway. He didn't answer, he thoughts were focused on getting insides, getting to Mac.

 _I wasn't there. He needed me and I wasn't there. The kid can't be dead. I won't lose another._

Spying a hose across the yard, Jack raced over, spun the nozzle and was gratified to find water poured out. Stripping off his outer shirt, he doused it under the water. Flipping it over his head, he raced for the door he had exited out of. Getting close, he could vaguely see that the doorframe was askew, not stable, but open enough he could shimmy through.

" **JACK!** "

He didn't hesitate. Tearing through the threshold, he jumped over debris to his left and scuttled to a stop. His mind could barely hand the devastation he saw. Beams were caved in, walls with large holes and a light swinging. It flickered on and off erratically. Jack could feel his heart pounding in his chest. _Mac, come on where are you?_ Spinning to his right, he saw the area where Mac had been before he was directed to retrieve those items. Nothing. Intellectually Jack knew that there would be something left over if the kid had gotten caught in the blast. Something would be there but there wasn't anything. In fact, there was no significant sign of the blast in that area. Allowing his mind to taken in the shambles that was the house, Jack noted that most of the actual damage from the bomb seemed to be from upstairs.

 _What the—-?_

Ignoring the scratching of his throat, Jack called out for his friend. He paused. Listening. All he could hear was the crackling of flames above him, and the groaning of those house as it threatens to collapse further.

 _Come on kid, where are you? I need a sign._

Deciding to follow the damage, he moved toward the stairs and looked up. It was impassable. The blast seemed to have been concentrated above there. Jack could feel the shirt drying out quickly. If he didn't' hurry, he wasn't going to last long. He tried to test the stairs. It gave under his foot, causing his foot to be stuck.

"Well that's just _fan_ tastic."

Struggling, Jack attempted to pull his foot out. The house stubbornly held onto it. Reaching down with both hands, Jack pulled and leaned back at the same time. grunting with the exertion, he tugged with every last ounce of strength he had. _You can't have me too!_ The house released its hold. With only a second to process the sudden lack of a hold, Jack was sent sprawling backwards. His back hit the floor with a painful thud. _At least I am free._ The floor then reclaimed him. It gave beneath him, sending him down into the dark.

Riley watched in stunned disbelief as Jack ran _into_ collapsing house. _What do I do?_ She did what she does best. She pulled out her phone, gratified to see that she had reception, only to realize that was because the house had blown up WITH Mac inside. Pushing that though aside she hit the Keyes faster than ever.

"Matty, we need help. **NOW**!"

Jack's fall into darkness wasn't quite as long as he had expected; in fact, it was nothing like he had expected. He only fell about a foot before he bounced off something hard, again and again as well went down at an angle. _Stairs._ His mind connected the motion with bruising, having done this before. He rolled painfully down the last few steps and hit a wall. Groaning, he allowed himself a few moments to re-orient himself before he attempted the painful task of moving. Blearily, he could see that the fun trip he had just taken was down concrete steps, not just wood. He was however, grateful to see. Literally. Most of the smoke was still in the upper floors, so he wasn't completely blind, just mostly.

In fact, this area was relatively untouched by the blast, in loose terms. Surveying the area, he caught sight of a pile of rumble that did make it down.

That pile groaned.

Crawling towards the sound, Jack tried not to get his hopes up. He did anyways. That groan belonged to a person. Sticking out of the bottom was a shoe. Jack knew that shoe.

"Mac?"

The pile shuddered in response.

Encouraged, Jack approached carefully-ok not that carefully as he didn't see any of the smoldering embers and burned his hands in his hurry.

"Mac, if you can hear me. I got you, bud."

"Ja…k…?"

Jack was never so relieved to his name as he was at that moment. The relief was almost palpable. Until he realized that his boy still hadn't moved since finding him. Squinting in the relative darkness, he tried to assess pile as best he could. It was relatively small, and didn't appear to be dangerous.

"Hang in there, Mac, I am going to get you out."

"N't han..ging…."

"What?"

"Laying…n't hang'ng…."

Jack laughed at the correction, if his boy was able to still correct him, he couldn't be too hurt.

"Y'know Mac, I am hurt that you didn't invite me to this shindig. What with all the mood lighting, romantic bro."

"Tr'd to UN-in'te oo."

It took jack a minute to understand the slurring speech. Then it hit him like the blast of the bomb.

"Now, just wait a minute. You _KNEW_ it was going to blow and you sent me away?!"

Jack's hands stilled from the rescue efforts, _that punk._

"You do NOT get to make that decision, kid. It is my choice what I do with my life."

"I…can…t…losssse..oo… too…n't….a..n't.. …un.."

The voice under the rubble was weakening and it terrified him.

Renewing his efforts, he soon found Mac's hand. It was scratched, dirty and a glorious sight. Taking only a moment to squeeze his fingers, Jack continued to dig his friend out. Soon his shoulders emerged, then his head; his hair was disheveled and caked in dried blood but it didn't stop Jack from patting it, even if it was fleetingly.

"I got you Mac, I got you."

He was met with silence. If there was anything Jack hated, it was silence. He was always whistling, singing and just keeping the air filled. Silence was a bad sign. Silence in his line of work meant death and he did not accept that. Not today. Not with the kid.

Removing a particularly heavy beam, Jack got his first good looks at the kid. He swallowed hard. Mac was laying on his stomach, one leg twisted unnaturally, which wasn't great but wasn't what caused his stomach to drop. Bright red blood was seeping through the kid's normally blue shirt. Bright red blood was a problem. It meant an arterial bleed. Mac was bleeding out. Jack was no medic by any means but he had been in the field long enough to see some things and this isn't what he wanted to see.

The blood was exiting around a thin wood shaft that had pierced the kid's back. He couldn't tell if it went all the way through from his vantage point. Jack knew if he didn't do something, Mac was not going to make it.

I was going to try and make it all in one shot, but I am a jerk and will leave it there; also, I wrote this on my lunch hour, so its down and dirty.

This is my first MG fic, what do you think?

3/20/17 ~R.S


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I am super excited that you guys enjoyed the last chapter, so excited I couldn't wait to post this. Can't tell you what it means to know that people appreciate your work. I only hope this chapter lives up to the last. Also, I am not a military, medical or any kind of real professional so I am taking some liberties here and hope it doesn't detract from the story.

Fibs versus Lies 2

"Mac, buddy, I need you to answer me."

…no answer.

"Bro?"

…silence.

Shifting his weight, Jack tried to peer into the darkness to get a better view of the wood currently impaling his friend. "I wonder if this is what vampires fear in those movies…"

"Vamp…'re…ss? R'al..y..ac.k?"

"Mac! Oh, bro it is _good_ to hear your voice. I thought you were ignoring me."

"Tr'e..d…too annoy'ng."

"Now, that is not very nice of you. I expected better."

"S'ry…"

"I bet you would look good in glitter."

" _Wh…at?_ "

"Y'know, from that popular vampire movie. They twinkled in the sun."

"I don' w..a..nna _twi'kle_ …"

"Not your choice bro. Should have thought of that _before_ you kicked me out of doing the stupid stuff. That's _my_ favorite stuff. You know that."

"I won't..lose…you too."

"Everyone has to go at some point, bud. I hate to break it to you but you can't stop death. No one can."

"Ma..yb..e this is _m'ine_."

" **NO**. No, kid. That is _NOT_ happening."

"Can't st..p d..ea..th."

"The _hell_ I can't. Watch me."

Jack was gratified to hear Mac cough-laugh.

"Ok, we need to stabilize that piece of wood. If it moves even an inch it could sever the artery and that is not an option."

The floor grumbled under their bodies, causing Jack to reach a hand out to steady himself. A flurry of dust rained down on the couple sending them into coughing fits.

"Th..ere..s your glit..ter…" Mac shot back weakly.

"That was supposed to be for _you_ , not me."

"Think…it ma'es oo dis..t..inguish…ed"

"Why, thank you Mac."

"L..ike Sean..Con'ery."

"I am touched, Mac that you compare me to that stud."

"Well, y..ou're bo..th…older.."

" _You—-!"_

Jack broke off his words when he heard Mac succumb to a coughing fit, that ended sounding wet. Taking care, he gently lifted Mac head and swore. Blood dribbled down his lips, a sure sign of internal bleeding. _Probably a punctured lung. If I don't get him out of here soon…_

A quick glance in the immediate area revealed something familiar laying on the ground not too far away. Snatching the material up, Jack immediately started shredding his shirt that he had used for cover into strips. Sliding back over to Mac, who was only semi-conscious now, he quickly but carefully wrapped the material around the thin wood and tied it off, wincing as he heard Mac groan. With light fingers, Jack probed the piece of wood, he barely noticed as several slivers found new homes in his hands. About a foot from Mac back, the wood appeared to be broken, a piece hanging off. Probing that piece, Jack realized it was actually a significantly heavy piece hanging off, probably causing the wood to shift under the weight.

Wincing at the pain he knew was going to his already injured friend, Jack seized the hanging piece of wood and moved it back and forth as steadily as he could; attempting to wear the last piece down to where it would snap off. _Back and forth, this way then that. Easy does it. Come on, you piece of—_

With a nearly inaudible snap, the wood released its hold from the mother stick. Without a thought, Jack tossed it over his shoulder.

"Mac? Mac!"

It had been awhile since he had last heard from his friend and that typically didn't bode well. Jack moved his fingers to his friend's neck and checked for a pulse. He waited. _There._ A faint but stead beat thrummed under his fingers. Breathing out, Jack re-evaluated his surrounding now that the greatest threat seems to be under control, namely Mac's injury. With the fire creeping ever closer, he could feel the heat rising but he could also see a little better.

What he saw, he didn't appreciate. Lining the walls of the basement were large containers. On the opposite wall was a table stacked with tubes, wire, and material similar to that of the bomb that had gone off. _Great. we found the bomb maker's lair (love that word…lair). Which means, if that fire reaches us, there is a very good chance that it will light this place up with a bigger explosion than before._

"Mac, had to wake you but we have a problem, well, another problem."

"..ack?"

"Yeah, buddy, it's me. You seem to have found the bomber's lair—-"

"Lair, real'y Jack?"

"Yes, which means if we don't get out. It's gonna blow. Again."

"Tha' no' b' gud."

"No, buddy. Not good at all. Any ideas?"

"Chem'cal mix-ture t'xic…needs—venti'ation."

"Ventilation? Oh, you mean he had to have away to vent the basement. Gotcha."

Spinning around, Jack surveyed the wall, look for a vent, window, anything the bomber could have used. It was solid concrete. _No joy. Come on, give me a sign._ Smoke was starting to take up space now, casting a haze throughout the room.

"Foll'w the…sm…smok..e."

Jack glanced back at the prone form, _follow the smoke? What am I some sort of smoke whisperer?_ Nonetheless, Jack allowed his eyes to track the smoke. "I don't understand Mac, what am I supposed to see?"

A movement caught Jack's eye. Straining his eyes, he focused on that part of the ceiling, the smoke was wafting up, through the ceiling which should have been impossible as there was no hole there. Walking until he was standing just under the section, he covered his mouth and nose as best he could to protect it from the onslaught of smoke. There was no doubt that the smoke was escaping somehow.

The house gave an ominous groan. Jack's head whipped toward where Mac was still laying, more debris was starting to rain down on the kid, little things that weren't much to worry about but Jack wasn't sure for how long. Hurrying back over, he crouched down, "Mac, I have to move you. It's going to hurt like hell, but it's better than the alternative."

He received a grunt in response. As carefully as he could, he took the kid by his ankles and slowly pulled him over towards the area where the smoke was escaping, he winced as the agonized scream that reverberated the basement. _Oh, I forgot about his leg. Crap!_ The house shuddered violently. Without a thought, Jack crouched over the kid, keeping his body between the debris falling down on them and the wood piece still protruding from Mac.

Once the dust settled, Jack shifted so that the dust and pieces of wood and tile bounced harmlessly to the floor. Holding his index finger under Mac's nose, he was relieved to feel the faint puffs of air hitting it; verifying he was still breathing.

"Ok, how to get through now?"

"How about you use the stick?"

Jack yelped and jumped backwards, tripping over some conveniently placed debris causing him to land on his rear end.

"MAC, give a guy some warning?!"

"Sorry…no, not sorry. Nope."

"Geez, almost gave me a heart attack, and I am too young for a heart attack."

"That you are Jack…That you..are. Now, about that stick."

Grumbling about bossy younger agents, Jack snatched the aforementioned long piece of splintered wood and glanced up through the descending smoke. Gripping the wood tightly, Jack thrust it up as far as he could.

THUK THUNK

"That's wood! That's wood! Maybe some kind of door? Mac, Mac! We just need to get this open!"

"…Yup."

Jack hit it several more times.

0-0-0-0-0

Riley paced up and down the length of the house, trying to ignore the heat that pulsated from the fire currently engulfing the upper floors. The far right of the house's roof collapsed, sending embers into the air. The distant wailing of truck engines were a welcome sound. She took off towards the road, waving her arms around frantically. The engines followed the sight of the smoke to the house, screeching to a stop.

"Get those hoses out—"

"Sir! Sir! I have two guys trapped inside. Please!"

The man in uniform glanced from the house to the young woman, his eyes doubtful.

"We'll do what we can, please stand back. Men on the double. GO, GO, GO!"

Activity exploded around Riley as men jumped from trucks, pulling hoses out, and axes. She could only watch as they sprang into action and prayed they weren't too late. Water cascaded from the hoses, mixing with the fire in tenacious dance. Steam hissed and smoke lightened in color as their assault began.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The crackling of fire grew louder despite the mist of water that joined it. The fire was creeping closer and that was not a good thing with them being surrounded by all those chemicals. It was already a miracle that it hadn't exploded already. That thought gave Jack an idea. Now he wasn't an EOD specialist but he has been around the business to have picked up a thing or two about explosions. Hurrying the table, he glanced at the bottles, jars and various items. Most of them he had no idea what to do with, but a few of them were familiar. Dumping one jar over, he emptied it enough, then filled it with another liquid, ripped a strip of his shirt stuck it into the jar, knotted it at the end with still some sticking out; he then doused the strip sticking out.

Taking a quick breath, he ran to where some debris was on fire, lit the strip and ran back towards the desire area and threw it up at the ceiling. The glass shattered on impact. The liquid from the jar splattered on the ceiling and the fire from the makeshift wick lit the liquid. Fire spread quickly on the fuel. Within moments the fire was spreading. Waiting a few moments, Jack started to renew his efforts of banging on the now flaming ceiling with his broken stick. Embers rained down on Jack, but despite that he kept banging, even as he grew weaker from the exertion and smoke inhalation.

 _Creeaaakkkkkk_ **CRASHHH!**

The fire had successfully eaten away at the wood that Jack's efforts were rewarded with flaming wood crashing over top of him. Shaking it off, he peered up and was never so glad to see the smoke-covered sky as he was.

0-0—0-0-

Riley knew that the chances of finding them were dwindling with every passing minute. She gnawed on her lower lip until she tasted blood before switching to attacking her thumb nail. Another section of the house crashed down, and with it her hopes. Knees trembling, Riley could only watch as the firefighters started to pull back their focus and instead start to keep the fire from spreading. They weren't trying to save the house any longer. A new flare of fire caught her attention, it was on the side of the house, some sort of connected cellar. It burned for a few moments before that section also collapsed.

" _Help!"_

Riley blinked.

" **HELP!"**

Riley reacted.

She pushed past the firefighters, ignoring the waves of heat and the constantly falling debris. Skidding to a stop, she tried to peer down into the smoke. Coughing, she tried to call out.

"J..ack? Ma..c?"

"Riley? That you?!"

"JACK!"

Spinning around, she waved her arms frantically while calling out to the firefighters. The nearest one saw her and rushed over to where she was pointing. With a brief glance, he too called over the others in his command.

They tried to called through to the trapped occupants but the raging fire made that nearly impossible. Riley grabbed a walkie-talkie from the belt of one of the fire guys, wrapping a strip of cloth around it, she lowered it into the hole.

"OUCH! _RILEY_!"

Riley then grabbed another radio from another fighter and keyed it up.

"JACK! JACK! Is Mac there? Is Mac with you? JACK?"

"I hear you Riley, yes, he is here. He's hurt. I can't move him. I need a back board, and some rope and something to stabilize him with."

"Understood, well get you what you need."

Without waiting for directions, a firefighter near the back took off towards their truck and a recently arrive ambulance. The paramedics trailed after the fire fighters, gear in hand. Laying the back board down, they tied ropes to the ends and lowered it down. More firefighters raced over, a ladder over their shoulders.

Communicating over the radio, they instructed Jack to make room before they lowered the ladder in place. Securing it, one firefighter went down and then a paramedic. Riley waited in tense silence. The squawking of the radio caused her to jump.

"Alright, we have the patient secured, we need you to bring him up slowly and evenly. Do NOT tip it."

"Roger that."

With steady hands, the firefighters moved in practiced precision to bring up their patient was level as possible. Riley gasped when Mac's body came into view with a semi-long stick pierced through him. Her stomach dropped at his completely still body. Her mind didn't register if his chest was rising or falling with breath. All she saw was blood and her larger than life friend impaled.

Quickly the firefighters reached out to get more hands on the backboard and carry it off to the ambulance. They filed off two by two, like pall bearers. Riley hated that her mind made that connection. She hated herself. _Not Mac. Please, not Mac!_

AN: I swear I was going to wrap it all up in this one but it felt like an appropriate stopping place.

So, what did you think, did it live up to the last chapter?

3/21/17 R.S


	3. Chapter 3

Fibs versus Lies 3

Jack waved his hands in front of his face, attempting to dissipate the thick cloud of dust before his face. Rays of light filtered through the heavy smoke and dust, reflecting off tiny particles.

 _Great, now how do we get out? It's at least a few feet above my head and I can't jump and pull myself out, let alone Mac. When all else fails…_

"Help!…HELP!"

Jack paused, listening for a reply. He heard something. A woman's voice. _RILEY!_

"Riley? That you?!"

"JACK!"

Jack turned back to Mac, "hey, buddy, you hear that? Riley out there. Come on, bro, we're almost there."

The left hand of Mac slowly inched out towards Jack, who was so busy looking up that he didn't notice it.

 _THUD_

"OUCH! _RILEY_!"

Jack heard Mac snicker when the radio Riley had lowered bounced off of the top of his head, and sway in front of his eyes. Grabbing it, he heard Riley's voice over the the crackle of the flames inquiring about him and Mac's status. He answered back, and requested the supplies needed to move them out. The short reply from a male's voice took Jack aback, but he realized it was probably one of the firefighters that had been spraying the house.

Minutes seemed to stretch, as Jack surveyed his friend and the surround basement which was growing more and more choked with smoke, despite the open doors. The blocking of the light drew his attention back to the opening. A squawk of the radio had him making room for the incoming ladder and supplies. He backed up enough that he was within reach of Mac's feeble hand.

 _Tap. Tap._

Glancing down, Jack saw Mac's attempt to get his attention while guys were coming down to reach him.

"What is it buddy? What do you need? Mac, speak to me!"

"Y'know…."

"Know what? WHAT?"

"You…cou..ld h..ave….used…d…the..ladder…."

Confused, Jack looked toward the recently lowered ladder and then back at his friend. _He must have hit his head too._

Seeing the confusion on his partner's face, Mac let out a breathy laugh and lifted a shaking hand to point towards the far wall. Leaning against the wall, was a long collapsible ladder, the perfect height to climb out of the basement. A stream of swear words filtered back to Mac's ears as Jack made the connection.

Emergency personnel surrounded the pair, checking the status of the formerly trapped men. Jack waved them off of him, directing them to focus on Mac's more pressing needs. With careful, stay hands they slid the backboard into place, padded and secured the protruding wood piece even more. With synchronized movements, they all helped to lift the board and steady it as the men above them slowly pulled the seriously injured patient out.

With eyes focused on his partner, Jack was only vaguely aware of the intensifying heat. It was only after his friend completely disappeared from sight that he returned his attention to his own predicament. Namely, the fire now roaring towards them. Radio in hand, he shouted warnings as he pushed the rescue personnel towards the ladder.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"EVACUATE **NOW**! GO GO! THIS PLACE IS GOING TO BLOW!"

Riley's attention was returned to the firefighters as Jack's voice bellowed over the radio, warning of an impending explosion. One firefighter grabbed her, dragging her away from the house despite her fights to go back to Jack. Mac was already out of harms way, in an ambulance and headed towards the nearest hospital. Three firefighters stayed by the cellar, grabbing the men as they exited as fast as they could. She saw Jack exit last. They all ran for cover, as fast as they could. Riley glanced back to see Jack veer off of the path that the others were taking. He sprinted right, while the rest rushed towards the safety of the rigs.

The ground shook, roiling beneath Riley's feet. The concussive wave slammed into her and the retreating firefighters, flinging them head over heels several she landed, she landed hard, the breath knocked out of her. She lay there for several moments, struggling to get enough air in her lungs. Debris rained down all around her, pelting her with bits of wood, tile, glass and other pieces of the former house. _Jack! Where's Jack?!_

Lifting her head, Riley had to squint through the billowing smoke. She saw the firefighters, including the personnel that was down below with Jack but she didn't see him.

"J..aC..k!"

The fumes from the chemicals in the basement were causing her eyes and throat to burn. _Jack._ Covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve, she scrambled to her feet, stumbling slightly. She started towards where she last saw Jack but a hand on her ankle forced her to stop.

"You can't go over there, Miss. That's a chemical fire."

"Thanks but I didn't ask for permission."

Riley shook off the hand, when he grabbed her other ankle with his other hand outstretched. Riley took the small mask, it wouldn't completely protect her but it would be better than nothing. With a nod of thanks, she took off running towards the right side of the property where a low stone fence was. Wheezing, she waved her hand to try and clear the air. A shift of wind, sent the smoke in the opposite direction much to her relief.

"JACK!" The mask muffled her voice, not allowing it to carry very far. Frantically she searched the ground.

 _Groan._

Her head snapped to the left, looking directly at the stone fence. A small movement caught her eye. She was already moving before her brain registered what that moment was. Vaulting the fence, she nearly landed on the prone figure of one Jack Dalton. Stumbling off to the side, she felt beside the man, her hands reaching for his neck.

"JACK!"

A strong pulse greeted her.

"Jack, can you move? Wait, should you be moving? You might have a spinal injury. Scratch that, stay sill. No, I said stay still you stubborn mule."

"Ass. St..ubb-rn _ass_."

Jack's retort, sent Riley into fit of near hysterical laughter which in turn sent her into a coughing spell that Jack joined in. Removing the mask from her face, she gently slid it over Jack's; who then tried to give it back. Unfortunately for him, his last near death experience took the last of his adrenaline, leaving him weak and shaky. A simple press of her hand on his face kept the mask in place. It might have also allowed a single tear to escape Riley's eye and leave a track mark down her cheek. A rough, shaky hand reached up to clear it away.

"Hey…now. There's no need for tears. We made it."

The hand never connected with her cheek, it shook even more before it fell back the way it came.

"Jack? **JACK?!** "

0-0-0-0-0-0

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

"…code blue….code blue…."

Beeeeeeeeeee….

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Beep….beep…..beep….beep

"He's never this quiet. It's unnerving. I wish he'd just wake up."

"Riley, he's so drugged up, even if he was awake he wouldn't be awake."

"What does that even mean, Bozer?"

"You just that—"

"Nevermind."

"Maybe, if we put a paperclip in his hand—-"

"A paperclip? Then what, somehow that going to be something he is familiar with and his hands will move of his own accord, creating one of his little sculptures and he will wake up? This isn't the movies, Bozer. He was really hurt."

"I know that, Riley, but this is my man, Mac—"

"Did you see that?"

"See what? What?!"

"His hand did twitch."

"It did?"

"Yeah, when you said paperclip, his hand twitched. There!"

"Are you messing me?"

"Yes, yes I am and it worked."

"Not cool, my little angel. Not cool."

"I wish Jack hadn't left—"

Beep beepbeep beepbeep beepbeep beepbeep beepbeep beepbeep beepbeep beepbeep

Alarms clamored for attention, light on the monitor flashed. Riley and Bozer leapt to their feet, their eyes riveted on Mac's form. A flurry of nurses and doctors descended on the room, voices crossing over one another as they called out different stats.

"What the _hel_ —Riley, Bozer what happened?"

Jack's voice sliced through the cacophony, reaching the ears of his two younger charges and the patient. Immediately the alarms stopped which in turn caused the doctors and nurses to stop their orders. All eyes went from the patient to the man in the doorway and back to the patient. One of the doctors waved Jack forward, motioning to the bed.

Jack moved with swift strides; he was next to the bed within seconds.

"Hey buddy, you are scaring Riley and Bozer. Don't you think you've played opossum long enough?"

Jack prodded Mac's closest hand with his index finger. The reaction was almost instantaneous. Mac's own index finger lifted just enough to touch the end of Jack's, "ooouch".*

"HA! Did you see that?! He just E.T.'ed me! He's back, m'boy's back!"

"Mac!" Twin voices overlapped each other as they rushed to get to his bedside. Nurses stopped them before they made it.

"Only one at a time can be in here. The doctor will need to examine Mr. MacGyver. You'll need to leave."

"But—"

"Oh, _hell_ no—"

"Riley, Bozer. I got this. Give us a few minutes." Jack lifted his eyebrows and winked in a very not-so covert way.

Grumbling, the two were escorted out followed by the majority of the other staff now that Mac wasn't coding.

Jack kept his hand near Mac's but without touching as the Doctor and nurses checked the patient's vitals and reflexes. They asked Mac several questions to assess his alertness. Mac answered them with eyes closed, his voice hoarse. The nurse provided him with a few ice chips to help sooth his mouth and throat. Mac allowed them to melt in his mouth, as he continued his own internal review of his body. Well, what he could feel, which wasn't much. He did feel however when the slight heat source started to move away from his side.

A groan escaped his lips much to his own embarrassment.

"I'm here bro, I just need to take three steps away and speak with the good doctor here. Ok? If you would open your eyes you would see that I am three feet away."

Mac mumbled something and Jack took that as an acknowledgement.

Despite his desire not to, Mac opened his eyes to a slit, struggling to focus against the harsh light. Blearily he could see lots of white and a fuzzy black figure. _Either that's the grim reaper here to take me, or Jack…same dif._ His mind then churned over the differences between Jack and the Grim Reaper, but he could only find more similarities than not. He wondered if he should be more concerned about that. The light reflecting off of the tube caught his attention, focusing on that he allowed his mind to wander just what he could do with that when Jack came back.

"See buddy, I kept my promise."

"Alwa..ys..do."

"That's right, which means we now need to have a certain conversation about that stunt you pulled."

Mac remained mute.

"Now, we had an agreement as I recall. You know the one I am talking about? Hmm?"

Mac just closed his eyes, feigning sleep.

"I know you're still away, bro. You can't get out of this, you are in fact my captive audience."

Mac swallowed with some difficulty.

"I have _repeatedly_ told you that you are _not_ to do anything stupid _without_ me. _WITHOUT_ **me**."

Mac fingers played with the edge of the bedding, resolutely keeping his eyes closed and his breathing labored. He knew he couldn't fake sleep with Jack, but that doesn't mean he had to answer him. He didn't know if he could.

"That was _twice_ in one day we almost gone blown up. _Twice._ "

Confused, Mac cracked one eye open.

"That's right, twice. Once when you oh-so heroically tried to handle things on your own, and again when the chemicals in the basement nearly finished the job."

That got Mac's attention. Eyelids few open.

"Wh-what?"

"You probably don't remember, but when you somehow got into the hidden basement, it was his workspace. Filled with the chemicals used in the bomb. With the fire increasing, the heat nearly set it off while we were in there. It was just dumb luck that we escaped with seconds to spare."

Mac's eyes squinted in the light but that didn't stop him from taking in Jack's appearance more carefully. Underneath Jack's typical black attire, Mac could see the edges of bandages peaking out from his short sleeves. He also noted the stiff way his friend was standing.

"Y-ou…'urt?"

"Who, me? Of course not. I am not the one lying on a hospital bed."

While Mac understood on one level that he was indeed on a hospital bed, it still hadn't registered why and how badly he was hurt. His mind was still to foggy from whatever they had doused him with. He tried to shift. The pain ordered him to stop. He groaned.

"Now, don't you go moving on me. You'll aggravate your wounds."

"B-ad?"

"Well, you did kind of get yourself impaled down there."

The monitors beeping spiked at Jack's words. Jack cursed himself.

"Jack, I can't move. I can't feel my legs. _My legs!_ "

0-0-0—00

A/N:

I swear I was going to finish it all at once but my mind had other plans. Man, I am long-winded, this was supposed to be a one-shot. Ah, well. Mwhahahahahahaha. So, what did you think?

Also, that ET thing is something my Dad started with my nieces (when they were almost babies and we have all just continued the new tradition. Whenever I see them, I hold out my index finger (and these adorably cute kids) hold theirs out and when we touch we both go 'oooowwwch'. It's so great. —3/23/17 -R.S


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Alright guys, here's the next one. Just an FYI, since I now have a few fics in the works I am going to prioritize which ones to update based on they are received/reviewed.

Fibs and Lies 4

Jack reacted immediately, his hand clasped Mac's; his thumb making slow, consistent circles on the top of Mac's hand.

"Mac, can you feel this? Can you feel my thumb?"

MacGyver's breathing hitched at Jack's words, his struggles to move cause the various tubes and wires to start to tangle.

"Mac, stay with me buddy. I need you to breathe, buddy."

It took a minute but Mac seemed to finally become aware of the movement on his hand causing his struggles to lessen the more he was able to focus.

"That's right buddy, you feel that. Now can you hear the beeping of the machines? Right? That obnoxious beeping that means you are alive, you are in a hospital. I want you to focus on the beeping. That's right."

The Mac's response was a slowing of the beeping as his heart rate and breathing started to normalize.

"That's good. Good. Now, can you hear me Mac?"

Mac's eyes focused on his friend, he nodded his head.

"Good. You are fine. Your legs are fine. You can't feel them just yet because of the drugs in your system. You had a piece of wood impale you but it was NOWHERE near your spine. It did nick an artery, and you punctured your lung and messed up your leg but nothing the doctors' couldn't fix."

"Still…have..them?"

Jack felt sick, Mac had thought his legs were gone. Wanting to put him at ease once and for all, he glanced around the room. He spied the adjoining bathroom.

"I'll be right back. I want you to count to 30 and I will be back before then."

Mac modded mutely, his monitors spiked briefly before he started counting in his head when Jack disappeared from his limited view.

28..29…

"Here we are Mac."

Mac's eyes flew open, not even realizing he had closed them while counting. They widened in surprise. There was Jack, a large mirror in his hands.

"Jack, did you pull that off of the bathroom _wall?"_

"Hey, I needed a mirror, it was sitting there, no one using it, so I figured why not?"

"How did you even—-?"

"Hey, I've learned a thing or two watching you over the years and I had your army knife. Enough of that, I am sure they won't mind. Now, do you see that skinny figure in the mirror, yup, sorry bro, that's you."

"Skinny—?" Mac protested.

Jack nodded almost forlornly.

"Yup, that's you buddy. And you see those small lumps at the end. Those are your feet,"

Somehow, Jack was able to maneuver the mirror into one hand, balanced on his knee. With his now free hand he reached over and seized one of the lumps.

"This little piggy…."

Mac scowled at the older man, he jerked his foot out of the man's grasp.

"What..." Mac's mouth dropped open.

"Did you see that? It moved!"

"Like an inch but yeah, bro, it moved. Told you."

Relief swept through Mac, so much so that he just collapsed bonelessly to the bed.

Alarm flooded Jack, he dropped the mirror with light hands not even noticing that it didn't break. He was at Mac's side.

"Buddy?"

Mac's shoulders were shaking. Jack reached for the call button.

"Hahahaa"

Jack's hand stopped. Mac was laughing, well chuckling, I don't think he could get enough air to really laugh but it stopped Jack and caused a smile to flit across his face. Mac was going to be OK.

"Jack…?"

"Yeah, bro?"

"Thanks."

"I gotcha brother."

"I know."

"Now, we need to talk about that stunt you pulled."

"Ohhh, so tiiiired."

"Not happening my man. Now spill."

Knowing he was stuck, Mac took a deep breath, trying to orient himself. His mind filtered back to the events that led him here.

"How long have I been here?"

"Only a few days. Few rough days."

"Really?"

"Yup. Now don't go trying to distract me, it won't work."

At that moment a nurse walked in, she lifted Mac's chart from the bed, checked the patients vitals and wrote something on the chart. Replaced it and spoke to Mac. Jack watched her, and Mac watched Jack watch her, a knowing smirk on his face. When she exited and Jack's eyes followed her, Mac chuckled softly.

"Looks like I won't have to."

"Wha…t?"

"You know she's married right?"

" _Seriously_? Dang."

"Someone liked it and put a ring on it."

"You did not just quote _Beyonce_ to me."

Mac just hummed the tune in response.

"Alright, you've had your fun now spill."

Heaving a sigh, Mac relented.

"Alright, alright."

Mac relayed his observation about the bomb in question,"I knew I didn't have much time and wasn't sure I could even get rid of it. I knew I had to get you two out, so I may have…stretched the truth—-"

" _Lied._ "

"—-Fibbed about my needs in order to get you two out of the building. Once you both were out, I stripped some pillows out of the next room, fastened them around the bomb with my belt and tossed it toward the upstairs-"

"Wait, wait wait. Why did you just leave with us? We could have all ran at once."

"Couldn't, I had to buy time. We were being watched, live. Anyways, while I was getting out it went off, throwing me down those stairs into the seller or basement whatever that was. It must have hit me pretty hard cause the next thing I knew you were there. You big —"

"Incredibly brave sexy—-"

" _Really_? You think that would be on my list of adjectives?"

Jack smirked in response.

"What about you? You have bandages."

"Who, me? Oh you know, it makes the nurses go all over you if you are 'injured'."

Mac rolled his eyes at Jack's bravado.

 _knock knock._

Their attention was drawn to the door where Bozer and Riley were hovering, their faces anxious.

"Shhh, come on in before the doctors catch you."

Quickly, they came in closing the door behind them quietly. They all clamored around Mac's bed.

"Man, you gave us a _scare._ "

"Sorry Bozer, I didn't mean to."

"Well, at least you didn't code like Jack did."

"Bozer—-!"

"What?" Mac yelped, his eyes searching Jack's who looked away guiltily.

"I thought you said—-"

"Well, I may have _fibbed_ a little."

" **JACK**!"

A/N: Annnnd scene. I don't think any else needs to be said. What do you think?


End file.
